Work tip: Easy meeting warm-ups

It's always good to start a meeting on the right foot by getting everyone comfortable and engaged in the beginning. Give one of these quick and easy meeting warm-ups a try.

• Opinion: Write the words "agree," "disagree," "strongly agree" and "strongly disagree" on large pieces of paper. Place each poster in an obvious spot somewhere in the room, preferably on a wall. Then make a statement such as "we all like spinach" and have everybody move to the part of the room that matches their opinion. Try creating opinions that relate to the theme of the meeting.

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  Critical Questions: In a small group, ask everyone to identify two questions they hope to have answered during the presentation or session; in a large group, select volunteers to ask the questions or identify objectives.

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  True or False: Have participants say three things about themselves - two true and one false. Other participants guess what the lie is. The correct guesser goes next.

If you are interested in more tools, tips, and advice for planning and executing effective meetings, join the Project and Work Facilitation Unit for the next project management round table on Thursday, August 21 at 3:30 p.m. Contact Kristy Davis (kldavis@umn.edu) or Christa Nicols (nicol072@umn.edu) if you are interested.